If humility is maintaining a modest self-opinion, then equally it demands that I establish an appropriate opinion of God. All too easily I have thought of God as a holy superhero who risks all to rescue me. Yet, in reality God sends Jesus to address a covenantal problem created through the Fall and a failure of a covenant people to realise their own vocation. Jesus is the Messiah who fulfils that Jewish covenant. Having broken the power of sin, Christ invites everyone to consider accepting his Lordship and leadership in challenging evil throughout the earth.

The redemptive purpose for all of creation is God’s. My part is to collaborate with God, and that requires my submitting to the will of God in my life. The extent to which I do so, consistently, impacts the influence God asserts in the world today.

When Katey was first diagnosed with MS, we both waited to discover what this was. It soon became apparent when it exhausted her and swiftly removed her legs from under her, placing her in a wheelchair. Disbelief that this was happening was accompanied by anger; anger directed at everyone including myself and Katey, and especially at God. I knew that God wanted physically to heal her, yet God seemed deaf and Katey entered a spiral of decline. I could see the muscle wastage in her leg, which meant the miracle required grew in scale by the month.

Slowly I discovered that I had been blind to people whose ability was in some ways impaired. My benchmark for ‘normal’ was able-bodied. I had never really considered why some were born disabled, while others entered disability along life’s highway. What does such a mixed humanity reveal about God? Jesus was able-bodied, therefore is disability less than God’s norm?

We wrestled with the reality of our situation while having our eyes opened to the reality of a broken world. We cried out against it, but with little practical benefit for anyone. Eventually we humbled ourselves and trusted that God might exalt us and a broken world, through grace born of quiet obedience.

In 2017, join Premier as we make a commitment to let the Bible speak into our everyday lives.

Listen to the Bible in a Year from familiar Premier voices as part of our Bringing the Word to Life campaign <http://premierchristianmedia.co.uk/16DQ-4R2CA-HBY0V8-2HJZ9C-1/c.aspx> . Download the podcast and listen on the go when it suits you, or tune in at 9.30pm on Sunday, 2.35pm Monday to Friday and 8pm Saturday on Premier Christian Radio.

Our Novena runs from 26th May – 3rd June. Join us and and pray in unity! Your Be Still and Know email every day will look at The Lord’s prayer and you can sign up to receive prayers every day as a text message as a reminder to pray with others whenever and wherever you get a chance!